Photos: Police secure the release of 13-year-old girl abducted & converted to Islam by her uncle in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police have secured the release of a young
girl that was abducted by her Uncle in Bauchi State and forcibly
converted to Islam.
Her father, an ordained Elder of Seventh-day Adventist
Church, Elder Bawa Buba, had written an open letter to cry out over the
abduction and islamization of his 13 year old daughter Alheri Bawa by
her uncle Mal Dauda Buba.
Days after she did not return, he made a call to Dauda
Buba, who is a son to his Elder brother, to whom the girl had gone to
visit, to enquire whether my daughter was with him as reported. To his
surprise, he was informed of the shocking news and told that the girl
had been islamized, that he should forget about seeing her any time
soon. When their family members could not internally resolve the issue,
he took the case to the Police - who tried to help but later regarded it
as a mere Civil case. This forced him to reach out to the media for
help.
After weeks of pressure from the media and international
community, including the intervention of the Inspector-General of
Police, Solomon Arase, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Baba
Tijanni, secured Alheri Bawa's release and safely reunited her with her
family. Her abductor - Mal Dauda Bawa is currently in police custody and
would reportedly be charged to court soon.
Photo Credit: George Onmonya Daniel